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A group of female sperm whales with one defecating (Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean). The whale pictured defecating here is about 12m in length. She is an adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) swimming along with several other members of her social unit. Consider the whale’s size, and you can imagine how substantial that plume is. Whale poo is loaded with nutrients that are otherwise scarce at the ocean surface. As the whale dives and eats, surfaces and poops, she cycles nutrients from the depths of the oceans to the surface of the sea, fertilising the ocean. (Photo by Tony Wu/naturepl.com/LDY Agency)
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